It doesn’t matter who the player is, the long wait to hear their name called during the draft is stressful. The moment that their phone finally rings is a great relief, and who better to field that call from than a legendary coach like Mike Tomlin.
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave us a peek behind the curtain with Tomlin’s draft phone call to first-round DT Derrick Harmon.
“Derrick, how you doing,” Tomlin said via the team account on X. “Congratulations to you, man. We are excited to have you. You in Detroit?”
Harmon is from Detroit, and he held his draft festivities there with his family. Unfortunately his mother is in a nearby hospital on life support, so he was able to head there to tell her the news after the initial rush of calls with Tomlin and other Steelers decision makers.
The whirlwind is only just beginning for Harmon. The next step is heading to Pittsburgh to make his rounds at the facility and shake hands in person.
“We are excited about getting started. We want you to bring that big boy presence that’s been on display on all that tape we looked at,” Tomlin said. “Congratulations to you and yours, man…We’ll get you in Pittsburgh tomorrow, how’s that sound?”
Harmon couldn’t have fallen into a better situation. He is surrounded by elite talent in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cam Heyward. He will get a chance to grow up alongside Keeanu Benton to be the future of the Steelers’ defensive front.
Back at the Combine, Harmon told the media that he models his game after Heyward. It’s almost like his eventual landing spot in Pittsburgh was meant to be. He has big shoes to fill with a rich tradition of defensive linemen in Pittsburgh, but he has everything he needs to succeed.
You can tell by the smile on Tomlin’s face that they are quite pleased with their selection.
And here is Derrick Harmon on the other end of things with a huge sigh of relief and an emotional response.
